A bear and a lot of babies deer

This morning I slept until just before 7 am. Breakfast was not until 7:30 am and it didn’t take me long to pack. Last night I was awake quite late making the edition. But the good thing was that the Internet in this place was so good that I could do a job passively. Instead of taking an hour as sometimes, I would take five minutes to upload videos. I did many things.

Finally I packed and prepared to leave. Then I went to breakfast at 7:30 am with everyone from the inn. Apparently they rent rooms in the main house to «normal people.» It was absolutely beautiful there and seemed like a catalog of ceramic barn. Breakfast was an incredible propagation with fresh farm eggs, sausages, yogurt, granola, fresh bread and butter and jam, juice and coffee. It was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a long time. Granola was so sweet and delicious. And the bread was very soft. Interestingly, you can totally notice the difference between the fresh eggs of the farm and other eggs. These were some of the best eggs I’ve had all the time I have memory.

The main house where breakfast was served was impressive inside.

After eating, I returned to the room briefly. Then Darcy came and picked me up. One of the other boys he was, stinky fish, also wanted to try to take a walk. Then she went out to see if she had space. And she did it! So we got into your car and then collected a couple of hikers and returned to the path. Darcy has been making the shutter walks in recent years in Etna and was really pleasant. She only charges $ 10 and the mountain road is quite long and winding. I think it is a very reasonable price. And, sometimes, honestly, it is priceless to get a fast and easy trip to and from the path. Especially this year, when it seems that time is always of the essence.

The sign on the hiker’s cabin.

The mountain road to the path of the Etna Summit is long and winding. But we got there in one piece and they were around 9 in the morning when I was walking again. What was certainly not as soon as I expected, but it was worth it because breakfast was incredible. I moved immediately and the path had some beautiful views immediately. There was a lot of smoke in the air from the nearby forest fire. You could see it flow and smell thick in the air. I didn’t seem to bother me too much, but I wondered if I would do so during the day.

The views were incredible when I went north of Etna Summit Trailhead.

During the first hours, the path went up and down periodically. None of the climbs had more than 500 feet or so, so at least they were not too high and ended quickly. I walked near stinky fish for a while until the next water source. And in those first 10 miles I saw a mother’s deer with two small mottled babies. That was one of the most beautiful things he had seen. I don’t think I saw a deer with multiple small babies before.

Mom and here 2 babies. It is not the best photo!

The path went through a large burning section, some more recent portions than others.

Not long after that, I noticed a big bear right next to the path. I stopped in silence and I saw it from a safe distance as I dug on the floor and collected berries. Then he caught the attention of the stinking fish behind me in silence to see the bear before he ran. Once we started walking a little more and did some noise, the bear dispersed. They are really scared, especially in northern California. I can only assume that it is connected to the way they are hunted here. That was really incredible! It is only the second bear that I have seen on the PCT and the third bear that I have seen in the last almost 5300 miles of the year.

A quite mediocre image of the bear. It was too far.

In the next water source, I stopped briefly and sat down. But I really didn’t need to get water. There would be another source in approximately 5 miles and then one of approximately 10 miles after that. I hope to go approximately 33 miles for the day. Today is Sunday and that will prepare me to enter Ashland on Wednesday night. It seems that Jay made someone communicate with the one who wants to receive me in the city. What would really be surprising. And the days before Ashland will be relatively shorter compared to what I have done recently. I think it’s just about 120 miles to get there. So extending that for four days will be quite cold. I hope the day in the city is short. From time to time, that’s inevitable! And there will be no other great city for a while after Ashland. I will also try to overcome Oregon as fast as it is humanly possible. It will be a good opportunity to buy me some extra time.

Walking along an exposed part of the path. Slowly he directs more and more uphill.

After sitting at that water source for a while, I continued. And I did not plan to stop for a while after that. Maybe not even the water source to approximately 14-15 miles ahead. During the following hours, there was very little escalation. I think the biggest climb I had was approximately 700 feet in the course of a couple of miles. It really wasn’t bad at all. I decided to listen to an audiobook to help spend time. Recently, outsidejay recommended that you hear the Atlantic. A story about the first solo woman to triple a small ship through the Atlantic. I realized almost immediately after starting, that I would really enjoy it. That is the most exciting thing when you start an audiobook. Just knowing that it will interteg you immensely for the next few hours. I can go very well on the way when I listen to a good book.

Some sections of the path were completely decimated by Burn.

During the following hours, I simply left and walked. There was not much climb and I managed to eat a lot of snacks. Then, finally, he had to climb a small hill before falling to some kind of cabin in the desert. I hadn’t noticed it on the map, so it was a fun surprise to see. I would start another gradual climb and partially stop me to drink water in that next source.

A random ranger cabin in the middle of the forest.

This was the type of climb where you barely noticed that you were going to rise. Before realizing, I was crossing the water and took my backpack to drink a little. Because Ashland is not far away, it doesn’t make much sense for me to make a great day of mile today. If I did more than 33 miles, it would lead me to arrive at Ashland Super early on Wednesday. Apparently there was a really beautiful camp next to a lake in approximately 4 or 5 miles. That made me just 30 miles for the day and I would get there before dusk. It was a little more sense to stop there because I think I will probably make a quite big day tomorrow and the next day, independently.

Today was such a beautiful day and I felt very grateful for the views and wildlife.

I’m really going to try to take advantage of this long summer day I can too. A part of me is anxiously waiting for the time of the year when the sun begins to fall earlier and early. It is very difficult on the way to get up when it’s cold and dark in the morning and breakd down the camp. Every day. And every night to reach the camp in the dark because it is dark around 5:30 pm the most difficult part I suppose is to walk for hours in the dark at night, instead of just a short time more or less.

Rows and rows of blue mountains in the distance.

After grabbing water and eating a snack, I continued to finish this last climb. Then he would gradually pass before falling into the lake and camp to spend the night. I just had to walk for another hour or so before reaching the lake. Some people had commented that it was one of the best camp places throughout the north of California. And it was particularly pleasant. I was pleasantly surprised just seeing 1 store there. I definitely expected a group of hikers. Simply based on how many people I saw in Etna in recent days.

The wild flowers of today were incredibly vibrant.

I grabbed the water and prepared for the night of the other store. There was so much space that there were practically three large separate camps, all with fire wells. Then, instead of cooking the hot dinner, I actually ate one of those dinners of bags. You will see them in the international food hall sometimes. This was a coconut, chickpea curry and was absolutely delicious. It is completely cooked and, usually, you would shut up in the microwave if you were in civilization. But eating it cold from the bag, it was actually fantastic. Much better than I would have expected.

Continuing for the final climb of the day, just before it began to obscure.

I used to pack creative foods all the time. Bread and butter, fruits and vegetables, and one of my favorite things were avocados. But whatever, and I have probably packed it along the way. However, for some reason, I have been quite boring during the last months on the road. Maybe it’s because I’m in the city every two days, so it’s a little simpler. I really couldn’t say. But, eating the food bag made me realize that it should probably be more creative.

I couldn’t have asked for a better way to finish the day.

While ate water boiling to make a hot chocolate. Then I also ate a bag of french fries for dessert. I went to bed for a while after that and did my stretch and did some video work. I am so incredibly trapped that I know that I really need to get caught. So I’m going to do everything I can to spend at least 30 minutes an hour a day editing.

My tonight dinner was so good! And did not require overheating.

My store’s site was really pleasant and there was a fresh breeze in the air. I grouped in all my layers and put myself in my comforter at night. It was quite early and was super comfortable. Hopefully tomorrow I have a good early start and a super productive day. I am only 27 miles from Seiad Valley. So I should be there at some point between lunch and dinner. I will stop and go out quickly and then get more miles after that.

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